Alberta's musical heart lies in rock n roll. Sure we've had our share of country and pop artists emerge, but what its citizens love is rock concerts. Bands like Def
Leppard, Bon Jovi, Metallica, and many others have been embraced by huge crowds singing along to every song. So it doesn't come as a surprise that when Journey arrived at the Saddledome on November 25th, it was packed to the rafters.
Much has been made in the media about singer Anrel Pineda. The Filipino singer
was discovered by guitarist Neal Schon on YouTube covering Journey songs. The
youngest member of the band at 45, his vocals matched, and in some cases
exceeded, those of Steve Perry, the former singer whose voice is heard on most
of Journey's hits. His energetic performance frequently brought the crowd to
its feet to sing along to hits like Any Way You Want It and Faithfully.
Comparisons are of course going to be made, and the word "karaoke" is banded
about by reviewers. Having heard many karaoke butcherings of Journey songs, the
description of Pineda's performance couldn't be less accurate.
The band, on a sparse stage with an impressive led light display and big
screens, performed like a group much younger than their age. Lead by Neal Schon, the group was tight as they blazed through past songs
as well as tracks like City of Hope off their newest album Eclipse.
Even the late start (the band went on at 10) didn't deter fans who sang along
through mega-hit Don't Stop Believing and set closer Lovin, Touchin,
Squeezin. It was nearly midnight when the fans made their way home.
Canadian content was provided by Loverboy, who also reached superstardom in the
1980's. Lovin Every Minute of It, The
Kid is Hot Tonight, and set closer Working For The Weekend were
delivered by singer Mike Reno the same way they were in their prime. Much like
earlier this year when Glass Tiger opened for Roxette, Loverboy showed that
they know how to put on an arena show, even if on their own they wouldn't play
one.
If there is a criticism of the show, it would be that the US leg of the tour
featured Pat Benatar as the co-headliner, with Loverboy opening. Benatar, whose
long list of hits matches Journeys and Loverboys, would have been an ideal addition
to the show instead of openers Night Ranger.
Call it nostalgia, but for the fans that attended, they got a night of music
that left them still believing in Journey.